Night Drive
by RevDragon
Summary: Nick has been wanting to tell Judy something for a while now. When the opportunity arises one night, find out if he's able to take advantage! JudyxNick Updated! Now multi-chapter!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, I'm back from the dead. A good four year's worth of being dead. Whether I will remain alive, remains to be seen. However, for the moment, I have become inspired to once again pick up the proverbial pen and put thoughts to paper. I saw Zootopia twice because I enjoyed it that much, and I really wanted to do a short story about Nick and Judy, because I think they make a really cute couple. Rating it K+10 for cuddles and fluff.**

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'I really like blueberries,' Nick thought absentmindedly as he and Judy patrolled in their squad car. They only had about a half hour left on duty, and it had been a relatively quiet night in the metropolis of Zootopia. The fox had been snacking on them off and on throughout the day, but Nick could also smell the scent on Judy as well, underneath the usually more dominant carrot scent of course. 'It's a nice smell,' he mused, 'kind of reminds me of home in a way...-wait why am I focused on how nice Judy smells?' Nick shook the thought out of his head and tried to think about something else for the moment. He had been having a lot of those random thoughts about the bunny cop partner ever since the Bellwether incident, and he couldn't quite shake the fact that his feelings for her might run deeper than their close friendship.

"Earth to Nick," Judy nudged him from the driver's seat, "You alive in there?" She looked at him with her violet eyes. Nick snapped back from his daydream to meet her questioning stare with his own. Judy raised an eyebrow, "Hey officer, what are you thinking about that's got you so dazed? I know it's been dead tonight, but we're still on duty here! Traffic law violators won't write their own tickets you know!" She said jokingly.

"Yeah, Carrots, I know," Nick yawned and stretched for a second before continuing, "Cut me some slack, Judes, you'd find more action at the DMV this hour. In fact, I'm sure Flash would love to see you again," he smiled slyly.

"Hahaha, first off, DMV's closed now. Second of all, I'd rather not turn the half hour we've got left into six more," Judy chuckled, inwardly thanking God she didn't have to go back there as she continued driving around a small neighborhood area within the Savanna Central area of the city. "It's been a month since you started, not exactly as easy as melting down popsicles, but definitely way more exciting huh?" Judy replied enthusiasticly.

"Oh yeah, oh my gosh, there's a jaywalker, let's go instruct him on the wonderful city ordinances of using a crosswalk," said Nick dryly, making a mock worry face and pointing in a random direction as a joke while Judy just rolled her eyes and smiled. They continued driving in silence for a few minutes, passing through several more streets before Judy posed another question.

"Honestly though Nick, do you like working for the ZPD?" The bunny said in a more serious tone than before.

"What do you mean, Carrots?" Nick called her by his favorite pet name, "How could I not love working for the place that could put a certain someone away for nickel for alleged tax evasion?" Nick chuckled.

"Nick, I was being serious," Judy laughed then continued, "Besides, in a court you'd need evidence to prove charges, and last I checked I didn't see any." Judy smiled innocently. "But what I really mean is do you enjoy this job more than your last one?"

"Heh, if you could call it that," Nick replied, then looked serious for a moment, "To answer your question, yeah Judy, I do love it," he sighed, "I get to be loyal...brave...honest...To protect and serve, Mom was so happy when she found out." Nick smiled, "I go out there now, and animals don't always look down on me anymore. I can do something positive." Nick stopped for a moment, and Judy remained silent as she continued to listen.

"I never imagined making history being the first fox officer right after the first bunny cop," Nick gave a slight smile, amused at the thought, "But you were the one who helped me realize that I could do it. If I never met you, I'd still be hustling popsicles."

"Nick..." Judy started to say something but stopped.

"No, no, I'm serious this time too, Carrots, and I just really wanted to say thanks for believing in me. All this because a certain meter maid decided she wouldn't allow a social injustice to be done no matter what animal it was," Nick laughed and nudged Judy in the shoulder playfully.

Judy laughed, "Cut it out, 'slick,' I'm trying to drive here."

Both fox and bunny glanced at each other for a moment before Nick grinned, "For the record, Finnick was very touched by your act of kindness."

Judy smirked, "In helping a couple of con artists with their evil schemes right?"

Nick feigned being offended, "All I wanted was to buy a jumbo pop. Nothing illegal about that, right, officer Hopps?"

"Haha, all right sly guy, it's probably about time we got back to the station," Judy picked up the car radio, "Clawhauser, this is officer Hopps, nothing unusual to report, we're heading back now, over."

"Copy that, Hopps, good work tonight," Clawhauser responded from the comms desk. Judy could hear the sounds of dance music playing in the background. 'Probably messing around again,' she thought, turning the car back to head to the police station. "Hey uh, Carrots," Nick asked, "You want to know what the best part about working for the ZPD is?" Nick felt himself getting warm underneath his police uniform collar as he realized what he was about to say.

Judy turned slightly so she could look at the fox while driving, "Nick, I swear if you turn on the siren again like you did last time," she threatened jokingly.

"Carrots, I would never do such a thing," Nick replied, feigning an offended tone, "You know what? Just for that I'm not going to tell you unless..."

"Unless what sly guy?" Judy looked curious.

"Unless...you agree to have a quick coffee with me tonight at my place," Nick tensed for a moment, not sure how the bunny would respond since it was past 10:00 PM already and they had been on duty for the better half of the day.

Judy paused just long enough to see if Nick would start to fidget while waiting for her to reply then said, "Hmm, I'm sure it *must* be a good reason if it's worth getting coffee over, so I'll take you up on it," she smiled when she saw the fox visibly relax, "Score one for the sly bunny," she thought to herself.

A few minutes later they arrived back at the police station, quickly filed the few reports remaining, and headed back outside. "Ahh," Nick stretched as he walked outside with Judy. "Seems like I've been cooped up in that car all day. So, my place now?" He gestured to the parking lot where Judy's family truck was. Her parents had let her keep it until she had saved up enough for her own car, which had actually been far more helpful than the "meter mobile" she had been using for the first couple months. Judy replied, "Sure, but I'm driving."

The drive to Nick's apartment didn't take long. The fox had still kept most of his other hideouts around the city, but since becoming an officer, Nick had decided a more respectable living place would be appropriate and purchased an apartment not too far away from the police station. Judy's apartment was actually fairly close to his, so they would often carpool together to work unless Judy wanted to walk, since the station was within walking distance.

Inside, the apartment wasn't anything fancy, a simple kitchen that was connected to one living room area which doubled as Nick's dining area, and one bedroom. It was certainly bigger than Judy's, since everything was fox sized instead of rabbit sized, but the bunny had mentioned to him she was planning to move fairly soon. Upon entering, Judy first noticed that the evidence of a bachelor's pad was not hard to spot. Nick wasn't an absolute slob, but his furniture was very simple without any ornaments or decorations. A simple bookcase stood on the side far side of the living room next to the TV. A small two-seater couch and coffee table sat in the center of the room, but what really caught her attention was the collection of pictures on top of the bookshelf. One was of a younger Nick and his mother, who Judy was sure Nick got his looks from. Another one was of Nick and Finnick just being silly. The last two were pictures of Judy and Nick together, the first one being a selfie they took together the night they went to Gazelle's concert, and the second one was the day Nick became an officer and they had both posed together afterwards in uniform. "Nice place you have here Nick," Judy said, choosing to go admire the pictures up close.

"Ah, thanks Carrots, make yourself at home," Nick put his officer's jacket away, turned on a few more lights, and started to brew coffee for them both.

"I like your pictures Nick," Judy picked up the frame of the concert photo and turned it to Nick, "This one's my favorite though," she laughed, remembering how Nick had tried unsuccessfully several times to take a selfie with just himself, but eventually gave in to Judy's relentless photo bombing and took a nice picture of them together. Because of the crowd that was around the floor of the stage that night, they had had to lean in close to each other to the point where their cheeks were pressed together. Nick remembered it too, because the fox felt himself start to blush as if he could feel the warmth from the bunny all over again. Thankfully he didn't have too much time to become flustered as the coffee had finished brewing. "Cream or sugar?" Nick asked.

"Both would be great," Judy responded, taking a seat on the couch. Nick stirred both into the coffee and then suddenly remembered something. "Oh wait just a second Carrots, I've got something to go with the coffee. He opened the small fridge in his kitchen and pulled out a carrot cake. "I know it's probably not as good as whatever you make back in Bunny Burrow, but I wanted to try. I made it this morning, and had plans to give it to you tomorrow actually, but since the opportunity is here..." Nick shrugged and grinned sheepishly.

"You didn't just buy a cake from the bakery and pass it off as your own to impress me did you?" Judy poked him in the side as he came over and handed the cake and coffee to her.

"Nope, I promise it was one hundred percent me, Carrots. Scouts honor," Nick held up his right paw, "With maybe a phone call or two to Mom asking for help," he laughed and sat down next to her. To avoid an awkward silence, Nick quickly switched on the TV. He had it on the news channel so what appeared was a Zootopia newscaster talking about random happenings around the city. Both the bunny and fox watched in silence for a few minutes just enjoying each other's company, eventually both finished their coffee and set the mugs aside.

Inwardly, Nick sighed, 'This is isn't like me at all, I'm supposed to be slick and smooth and collected, and she's got me nervous like the time she outsmarted me that day on the street! Come on Wilde! Just say what you wanted to say!' Nick realized he did have feelings for the bunny sitting next to him, but he wasn't sure how he was going to deal with it or let it out, and he was growing slightly more flustered with each minute. He had realized what he wanted to say after remembering their talk on the gondola in the rainforest district when he stood up to Chief Bogo for her, but never got around to trying to continuing that conversation until now.

On the other end, Judy was trying very hard not to let on that she knew all too well what the fox was trying to do. She saw Nick slightly blush as she caught his eyes for a moment, then smiled, "You did a great job with the cake, Nick, it was really good! Was this your first time trying?" The cake was slightly dry, but she could tell the fox had really put his heart into making it for her. She had finished every bite.

"It was a bit of trial and error, but I managed," Nick relaxed a bit, remembering his first two attempts, one severely overdone and burnt, with the other being the complete opposite.

"Nick, I really appreciate it," Judy placed a paw on his shoulder, "So what was it you were wanted to tell me back in the car?" Judy had a pretty good idea already, but still wanted to let him be the one to tell her. She had already fallen for the fox, she admitted it to herself a while ago, but had wanted to make sure he felt the same way.

'She really knows how to put a guy in the hotseat,' Nick thought to himself, but it was now or never for him so he spoke, "Well you know how I was saying what the best part about working for the ZPD was?"

"Hmm, something about turning on sirens right?" Judy grinned, looking at the fox. Their eyes met for a second before Nick said, "It's you, Judy. Being able to work with the world's best partner. You believed in me when no one else did. You've had my back all this time, thank God for that otherwise I would have been gone a while ago," he laughed slightly then continued, "And I think now I realize tha-" Nick was stopped midsentence when he felt something warm on his mouth and realized Judy had kissed him. Judy was grinning from ear to ear, "You know you love me," she said, still smiling.

"Yeah...I do," Nick replied slightly disappointed he didn't get to finish, but he was quick to recover from his initial shock, "You stole my first kiss you know, that one with Finnick doesn't count,"

"It's called a hustle sweetheart," Judy laughed and leaned in closer to Nick, "Can I steal your second too?" She whispered.

"I don't know, isn't stealing a felony?" Nick smiled, "I might have to arrest you."

"I think you can let that slip by with a warning this time, especially since I'm the senior officer here," Judy replied as her lips met Nick's. The fox and bunny shared contact for a few seconds before breaking away. "That was mine too, so we're even," said Judy.

Nick was extremely happy in the moment, but still somewhat surprised, even though they had said as much to each other a while back when they had caught Flash street racing, he didn't really act on it until now since he had said it in a more joking manner. The fox knew for sure now, he really did love Judy. "Carrots," Nick formed that trademark sly grin on his face, "You smell like blueberries."

It was Judy's turn to blush now, "Oh that's just um, my new perfume, Gazelle #5," she played with her ears, secretly happy with her purchase. She had bought it on Fru Fru's recommendation, when she asked for advice on getting Nick to notice her more.

"I knew it wasn't just the blueberries I was eating earlier today," Nick smiled and placed his paws on Judy's shoulders before kissing her forehead gently, "Sense of smell. I'm a fox remember?"

"Do I look like Finnick to you?" Judy pouted teasingly then quickly said, "Don't answer that, you'll ruin the mood."

Nick glanced at the clock on his wall, which was now well past midnight and sighed, slightly disappointed, "Actually, Carrots, I hate to ruin the moment too, but..." He nodded in the direction of the clock. Judy grabbed his own paws with her smaller ones and smiled, "All right, Nick, that just means you'll have to make it up to me some other way then," Judy gave Nick her ever optimistic smile.

"All right, Judy," Nick hated and loved when she made that face, "How does this Saturday sound? I know a good place in the Rainforest district."

"Nick Wilde, are you asking me out?" Judy smirked, knowing she had already won. It was fun for her to tease the fox like this.

"You're really going to make me say it aren't you?" Nick asked, to which the bunny just nodded her head in response, "All right, fine, you win. Judy, will you go out with me?"

"Of course I will, Nick." Judy hugged him, then started heading for the door. Of course, they would see each other again beforehand since it was only Thursday and they were partners, but both were already looking forward to it. Nick held the door open for her as she walked out. Judy got two steps from the doorway then turned, kissed Nick once more on the cheek, and said once more, "You know you love me."

'Sly bunny,' Nick sighed happily, "Yeah... I do."

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 **Well that's it. I hope you guys enjoyed this story. I'm not sure if I'll continue it and write about that upcoming date or not, I have an idea about how it would go, but for now it remains as a oneshot. Also the formatting for this site threw me off a bit. Hopefully it's easy to read. I tried to make it not a huge block of text, but apparently it doesn't want me to double space.**

 **Updated! I've continued the story and hope you all will continue to read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi all. I really need to come up with a better intro sometime. I got to thinking about how that date between our favorite fox and rabbit might turn out, and decided that it would be something worth writing about, so I'm turning Night Drive into a multi-chapter story. While the last chapter focused mostly on Nick's perspective, this one will focus primarily on Judy.**

 **Disclaimer: Zootopia and all characters within this story (save for my fictional original characters) belong to Disney.**

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 _BEEP BEEP BEEP!_ The sound of the alarm clock rang in her ears as Judy stirred from her sleep. Awakened from the pleasant dream she was having about being named officer of the year, Judy was very tempted to go back to sleep to attempt to catch the last vestiges of the dream as they slipped from her mind. However, the sudden remembrance of why she had set her alarm for seven A.M. on a Saturday morning quickly snapped her out of her droopy mode. Today was the day the bunny had agreed upon to go out with Nick Wilde, her closest friend and partner in the Zootopia Police Department. Though Nick had only asked her a few nights ago, Judy had eagerly been looking forward to the day, so much that she had planned out her preparations in earnest. The day had to be perfect. 'After all,' she thought, 'What girl wouldn't dream of a perfect first date?'

Judy hopped out of the bed and fished through the drawers in her dresser for her things. She planned to move out of the tiny apartment once she had saved up enough money, and that day was drawing nearer, but for now she still had to deal with what she had. She put her things in a small bag, opened the door, and walked down toward the shared bathrooms for female mammals at the end of the hall. After taking care of her morning routine of showering, brushing her teeth, doing her makeup, and smoothing her fur, she changed into simple going out clothes consisting of a black pair of leggings and blue top, and went back into her room.

Before laying back down on the bed, Judy grabbed the phone sitting on the window sill next to her clock and dialed Fru Fru's number. Judy and Fru Fru had become good friends over the past month, and Judy enjoyed having someone to participate in girl talk with and receive fashion advice from. The phone rang a few times before Judy heard Fru Fru pick up on the other end. "Hiiiii, Judy," she greeted.

"Hey Fru Fru, I was just calling to make sure we were still on for today," Judy responded.

"Oh my gosh, yes!" Fru Fru replied excitedly, "I wouldn't miss this opportunity to help you out with your date preparations for anything girl."

"Thanks, Fru," Judy laughed, "Meet at the usual spot?"

"Sure thing 'bun buns,' I'll be there in forty-five minutes. And you'd better be ready because we're going all out! See you then!" She disconnected the call.

"I wanted to go out today too!" A loud voice came from the other side of the wall.

"Shut up! No one's forcing you to be hermit! Let the bunny have her fun!"

The arguing voices continued as Judy shook her head and put in her earbuds. "Well," Judy said to herself as she grabbed her keys and bag, "It's time to meet the day!" She opened the door and exited her apartment. Before starting her truck, Judy decided to send Nick a quick text since she didn't want to seem too anxious by calling him so soon. 'Looking forward to tonight. It will be fun, see ya then,' she sent it and started the drive to the shopping mall in downtown Savanna Central.

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Meanwhile, on the other side of town in a slummy section called the 11th ward, Nick Wilde felt his own phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled the Ramsung R7 out of his pocket and replied to Judy's text assuring her he was looking forward to it as well and that he would see her later, then replaced the phone back in his pocket and sighed. He was back in his childhood neighborhood, standing in front of the apartment to do something he hadn't done in quite some time: visit his mother. Normally this wouldn't hold any issue for Nick as Mrs. Trixy Wilde always loved to see him when he visited, but they hadn't spoken in a while, and Nick was about to tell her that he had fallen in love with a bunny.

Nick took a deep breath and mustered up all the courage he could. Second to confessing his feelings to Judy, this was probably the hardest thing he had done in his life, and the former had only happened a few days ago. 'But what the heck, I'm on a roll now, might as well go for broke' he thought as he knocked on the door. The apartment complex was very rundown since they were always poor growing up. Strangers would always ring the doorbell that was in severe need of fixing, but Nick's mother recognized his knock almost immediately and hurried to the door.

"Nicky!" The vixen flung the door open, wrapped her arms around Nick, and smothered him with hugs and kisses, "I'm so glad you came to see me! You haven't visited me in forever, dear. Are you doing okay? Are you still hanging around that Finnick fox?"

"Trixy, Mom... I can't...breathe.." Nick huffed as his mom loosened her grip slightly. Having had Nick at a young age, she still had the attitude and looks of a young mother, along with the energy of one as well. She was only dressed in short jogger shorts and crop top for sleeping since she had worked late the previous night. Only the slightest hint of greying in her muzzle showed a bit of age.

"Oh, I'm sorry Nicky-boo. Here, come inside and we can talk more," she gestured to the door.

"Mom, I've told you a billion times not to call me that," Nick face pawed and followed Trixy back into the apartment. Not much had changed since Nick had struck out on his own. The apartment was still as he remembered it. It was relatively clean with one very small couch and other minimal furniture. Taking a seat on the small couch, both foxes embraced each other for a moment. "It is good to see you again, Trixy," Nick sighed after releasing the hug. Trixy looked at him with eager eyes, waiting to be updated on his current life situation.

"How have you been, dear? I know things haven't been perfect between us for a while, but you didn't even call anymore!" Trixy scolded gently.

"I've been good, Mom, business has improved. We've really figured out an efficient process for melting down popsicles and they sell really well in Savanna Central on the hot days, plus what does one lemming, so does another," Nick laughed to try covering his slight nervousness at his lie. Being both a fox and a former con artist made him very adept at doing so, however, lying to his mother was still something that he never could get the hang of.

"Nicky..." Trixy pulled a newspaper out what seemed like nowhere to Nick and plopped it on his lap. The headline read "Zootopia's First Fox Officer," and right below was a picture of Judy pinning Nick at the ceremony. "Honey, why would you lie to me? I'm not stupid," Trixy questioned, looking hurt at Nick's attempted deceit.

Nick smacked himself inwardly, even the slums weren't so bad that they couldn't get newspapers. "Now, Mom," Nick started, "I have a perfectly good reason for this," he placed his paws on her shoulders as he could see her eyes start to well up with tears. He knew she must have been working late last night again, because Trixy was always very sensitive afterwards, and crying was the last thing he needed her to do right now.

"No, Nicky, I don't want to hear your 'perfectly good reason.' I want to hear the truth. Do you not like being an officer? Did you think I wouldn't like it? I remember how you wanted to join the rangers so I bought you that uniform a long time ago. Is the ZPD really a much different dream than that? It was all I could do to find out about your pinning ceremony so I could go," she wiped the tears that had formed in her eyes away.

"You were there?" Nick was surprised.

"Honey, we're not called 'sly foxes' for nothing. I had hoped you would have been proud enough to tell me at least," she smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry," Nick said honestly, "I should have told you that, and I'm going to make it up to you someday I promise," he looked straight into her eyes, "But I didn't just come here to tell you about my being a police officer."

"What do you mean, Nicky?" Trixy looked surprised now, then her intuition kicked in, "Did you find a girlfriend Nicky?!" She giggled excitedly, "What kind of fox is she, dear? Is she an arctic? Maybe one of those uptown vixens?"

"Well, let me tell you about her," Nick smiled, "She's definitely a handful. She's got a lot of energy, is fiercely optimistic and never gives up on her goals. She's also been there for me in my lowest and highest, and chose to believe in me. In short, I really love this girl, and she loves me as well."

"Nicky, you're doing that thing again, dodging my questions," Trixy shook her head and sniffed Nick a little more carefully, confirming her earlier suspicions, "Do you ever remember that your mom's a fox too?" She laughed, then continued, "You smell like carrots."

"Yes, Trixy. I do smell like carrots, and that girl I was talking about is indeed a rabbit, named Judy Hopps," Nick replied unashamedly, "She's the one who you see in this paper. And it would really mean a lot to me if..." He trailed off.

"Oh," Trixy said simply, slightly surprised at her son's admittance, "Well Nicholas, you two certainly make an odd couple," she sighed before putting her thoughts together, "Let me tell you the most important thing to me. It doesn't matter to me whether the girl you like is a fox or not. What matters is what you told me before you even said what her species is; that she cares for you, and you care for her, and that she has a good heart and a good head on her shoulders. You can't change your species, but who you are as a person, that's what's most important, and honestly, hearing that you had become an officer made me more proud than any other mother in the world, Nicky. Thank God you didn't tell me you were in love with an elephant or hippo though!" She laughed, "I can't imagine how awkward it would have been trying to fit through the front door when you brought her to visit! But even so, if the girl you loved was a fox, a lion, a hippo, or even a mouse, as long as she was going to treat you special, I would love her like my own daughter," Trixy felt happy tears coming and hugged Nick, "I love you, I'm proud of you, and you're always my Nicky-boo. No matter how much you protest it!"

Nick was floored with relief and happiness. He hugged the emotional vixen and simply said, "I love you too Mom."

"You better bring her over here soon okay?" Trixy smiled.

"Actually, Mom, this might surprise you again, but I'm planning on going out with her tonight," Nick grinned.

"What?! All right mister, that settles it. I'm helping to get you ready," she quickly got up and ran to the back of the apartment to her bedroom. She returned with a small metal box and opened it. Inside were many Zootopian dollars, the form of currency the city used.

"This is all the money I've been saving from working at the Swaying Fox Tail," the vixen said excitedly, "You're going to look so handsome after we're done!"

"Mom..." Nick said at the sudden realization of what his mother's new late night job was.

"Oh stop it, Nicky, it's nothing like that. I'm just a hostess for lonely animals who want company. Mammals tend not to care what species you are if they're lonely," she poked him in the side and ruffled his head, "I'm going to go get ready and then we're going out okay?" She started walking to the back, but quickly poked her head back out and said mischievously, "By the way, the lions always tip the best."

"Mom!" Nick said embarrassed, "That's not even funny!"

"Just kidding Nicky-boo."

* * *

Back at the Sahara Square Mall, Judy waited patiently for Fru Fru within the food court. The mall was the largest in Zootopia, with over three stories, several indoor attractions and many more stores for all kinds of shopping animals would do. She sipped on her smoothie and watched closely for any sign of the shrew. Judy didn't have to wait very long, because making his way through the food court was a big polar bear she assumed was Fru Fru's bodyguard and escort. The bear stopped in front of her table and slowly placed the shrew down. Being much smaller than Judy, it was much more convenient for her to be carried around if she went into the stores geared towards larger animals.

"Hey Judy!" Fru Fru greeted happily. When she saw Judy staring at the polar bear with a slightly intimidated look, she reassured her, "Don't worry about Nuju, he's just here to accompany me. We've got all day to go wherever and get everything perfect, so lets go!" Fru Fru stepped back into Nuju's outstretched paws and he picked her up without saying a word.

Judy smiled and nodded in response, excited at all the possibilities available to her. This was going to be her first real date in quite some time, and she wanted to make it special. For that to happen, she had to find the perfect dress first.

Most of the time when Fru Fru went to the mall it was to the section on the upper levels with stores like the ones in Little Rodentia for smaller mammals, but since she was helping Judy do her shopping, they were going to be staying in the sections for more medium to large sized animals. Luckily most stores had sections dedicated for all shapes and sizes, so it wasn't long before Judy spotted a store that caught her eye. "Let's try Furberry's, Fru," Judy pointed and walked into the store. It was definitely an upper class store, and way out of anything in her price range, but the arctic shrew tagging along with her had insisted that nothing was too much when you were 'part of the family.'

"So who did you find to watch little Judy?" The rabbit asked about her goddaughter, while browsing through the clothing racks in the store sectioned for her size.

"Daddy's watching her today while I help you out. She just loves her grandaddy. He loves her too, so it's good for him to have a little bundle of joy around and not be so grumpy," Fru Fru said.

"That's good," Judy laughed, "So long as he's not icing anyone I don't think there'll be any problems. Hey, Fru, what do you think of this one?" Judy held up a small black dress with a sheer top and laced back so the shrew could see.

Nuju brought the shrew closer and Fru Fru examined it for a moment before saying, "I never really felt like black would really pop on you, Bun buns. I'm positive you'll look great in it regardless, but you're going on a first date, not a funeral for the family!" She laughed.

Not dismayed at all, Judy examined the dress a little more then replied, "Well maybe I should at least try it on," she looked at the price tag, and the color drained from her face after seeing the four figure number. "On second thought, maybe we should try another place," Judy tried to mask her surprise with a small chuckle.

Before Fru Fru could protest again that nothing was at all too pricey for her, they both were interrupted by one of the sheep workers who had come up to them. "Excuse me madam," the sheep said, "I couldn't help but notice you were admiring that fine dress there. Would you like to try it on?"

"Oh, um actually we were just-" Judy started.

"We were just about to ask you that!" Fru Fru finished for her, "Perfect timing Mr..."

"Wooly Baadsgard at your service," he replied, "Right this way if you please." The sheep led the trio to the back where the changing rooms were and opened an empty one for Judy to step into.

Inside the changing room Judy quickly tried on the dress and admired herself in the mirror. The dress was a good fit, she had kept herself in shape from all the police training so that helped as well. However, something about it just didn't feel quite right to her.

Outside, Fru Fru called for Judy, "Get out here already, I'm dying to see what it looks like on you!"

"Okay, Fru, hold on. I'm coming out now," Judy stepped out and waited for Fru Fru to speak.

"Hmm, just like I thought, you look gorgeous, but it's definitely gorgeous like you're mourning, not dating," Fru Fru said.

"Hmm, I guess you're right Fru," Judy said, "Still, it was very nice to try it on," she stepped back into the room to change back into her clothes. Upon coming out she was met with Wooly who had been patiently waiting and talking to Fru Fru.

"Ah, I see so that is the occasion," Baadsgard had said after Fru Fru had explained their reasons for shopping, "If I may say, you still looked absolutely stunning, madam. But if you're looking to impress a rabbit, we have a great selection in the latest of bunny fashions that are all the rage."

"Actually, do you happen to have anything that maybe a fox might be interested in?" Judy asked nonchalantly.

The sheep raised an eyebrow then stated simply, "Dear madam, if you're suggesting what I think you are, I would have to recommend not going through with that. The whole lot of foxes are as a whole very conniving, treacherous, unscrupulous, corrupt individuals who-"

"You know what? That's enough," Judy could feel the anger welling up inside her but carefully controlled her words, "I think we'll be going now. Thank you for all your help, but we're going to look elsewhere. Come on, Fru," she stormed out of the store. Nuju followed close behind carrying Fru Fru.

"Ugh! I can't believe the nerve of that guy!" Judy crossed her arms and paced back and forth while ranting to Fru Fru, who sat on a bench nearby with Nuju. "It just makes me so angry that people would stereotype an entire species like that without even taking the time to get to know any of them personally!"

"I'm sorry, Judy," Fru Fru said, I had no idea that he would say something like that."

Nuju pulled out a phone and held it so Judy could see. The polar bear didn't say a word, but the picture he held up of a giant ice block with a questioning look on his face was enough to snap Judy out of her indignation. She quickly laughed and said, "No, no! We don't need to ice him, Nuju. I was just a little upset because I took that as an insult to Nick as well. I appreciate your concern, but I'm okay now." Judy patted the polar bear's paw and he returned the phone to his suit pocket, a somewhat disappointed look on his face.

"Hey Fru, let's just go explore some stores for right now," Judy suggested, "I'm already a bit tired of this dress thing. I know we just started, but I don't want to run into a situation like that again. Maybe we'll find something really cool!" Judy could feel her usual enthusiasm returning.

"Sure thing, bun buns," the shrew replied, "Come on, Nuju." The bear picked up the shrew and the trio began walking again.

Judy didn't really care about which store they went into, she wanted to get the previous experience out of her mind so she quickly chose the nearest store that happened to grab her interest. "Hot Tropic, huh?" She said wandering inside, "I wonder what kind of things they have in here."

"Judy, I'm going to be right next door in Furever 21 for a bit okay? I want to take advantage of this sale. I'll meet you when you're done," Fru Fru and Nuju walked off and Judy waved goodbye quickly.

Inside Hot Tropic, the first thing that caught Judy's attention was the loud music they were playing there. She didn't recognize the song, but the loud rock was enough to give a unique impression. The second thing was that most of the clothing selections seemed to be things from Zootopian pop culture. Movies, bands, animation, all kinds of clothing and merchandise related to popular entertainment. The last thing she noticed were the employees who worked there could have been poster mammals for the store. Each one was decked out in the store's style. Judy walked over to a shelf with some t-shirts on it and browsed through the selection. 'Never seen all these before,' she thought, 'Furry Tail' looks kinda cute though.'

"Hey there, are you looking for something I could help you with?" A female ocelot asked the bunny.

Judy turned to respond, but was a bit taken back at the appearance of the worker who was now close to her. Being one of the smaller wild cats, she was around the same height as Nick. Her the spotted fur pattern on top of her head was dyed pink, and she had a few piercings which were uncommon for Zootopia. Her attire consisted of a simple T-shirt for the band Relient Z, dark skinny jeans, and several bracelets and necklaces from various TV shows and bands.

"I don't know to be honest," Judy replied, "I was just wondering how I could help myself actually," she laughed softly.

"Well, as you can see, we kind of have a different style here, so most mammals will take one look and then go away, especially the animals who go next door. It's kind of a bad spot to be in right next to the snooty classy store, but- Ah, forgive me, I didn't even introduce myself, I'm Mira," the feline smiled.

"Hi, Mira, I'm Judy," the feline's friendliness caused the rabbit to return the smile.

"So, what brought you to our little corner of the mall here? I don't mean to assume anything, but most of the time it's rare for bunnies to come in here," Mira glanced at Judy's very casual and modest fashion sense.

"It's a story that's too new to repeat," Judy laughed it off and continued, "But I'm actually going on a date tonight and was searching for a new outfit to wear."

"Hmm," Mira paused for a moment in thought, "You know what? I might actually have something for you! Don't go anywhere I'll be right back," the ocelot hurried to the back of the store. A minute later she returned carrying a red dress with black lace trim around the hem and shoulders.

"I'm sorry it took so long, most of our dresses and a good portion of our bunny sized clothes were in the back. I bet you're surprised we even carried such items huh? Would you like to try this one on?" Mira asked.

"Yes!" Judy said quickly. The bunny had a feeling she had found the perfect one, and after trying it on in the dressing room and stepping out to see a few heads turn, her feeling was confirmed. She quickly sent a text to Fru Fru telling her she had found it then turned to see Mira smiling.

"You look amazing, Judy," said the feline, "Funnily enough, you know that style is actually really popular with vixens."

"Really?" Judy asked in disbelief.

"Oh yeah, all the time. So if you happen to be going out on a date with a fox," Mira winked, "He's quite the lucky guy."

Judy smiled excitedly, "You have no idea how much this means to me," Judy hugged Mira, "How'd you figure it out?"

"You kind of just told me," Mira grinned.

'Darn,' Judy thought, 'hustled again.'

"Don't worry!" Mira reassured her, "I'm happy for you both and I hope it all works out. From the way you're going all out for him, he seems like a keeper."

"He can be a pain, but I still love him," Judy agreed.

"Well then, keep your focus on that even through all the times you may want to give up, and it will all work out," Mira reassured the rabbit.

Before Judy could answer back, she was interrupted by a voice.

"Judy?! Oh mai gawsh! You look stunning!" Fru Fru had made her way into the store along with Nuju, who was carrying several other shopping bags for paying for the dress and saying goodbye to Mira, they left Hot Tropic and continued their shopping spree to complete Judy's look for the night.

A few hours and several more shopping bags later, Judy was back in her small apartment getting ready for Nick to pick her up. She was very happy with the items they picked up that day, though the red high heels they had bought to go along with the dress would take some getting used to since Judy typically preferred to go either barefoot or with simple footwraps like she wore to work, but they were Preyda, and Fru Fru had insisted, so she consented. Learning how to walk in them had been just about as difficult as her academy training, but she was no quitter, and after falling for the tenth time, she finally got the hang of it.

It was getting close to the time she and Nick had agreed to meet at her apartment. Not wishing to be interrupted by her loud neighbors, Judy decided to head downstairs and wait in the small lobby of the building. "Well," she said to herself when she had put the finishing touches of her makeup on, "Here goes. Come on Judy, you can do this!" Judy tried to pump herself up so avoid her nervous thoughts about how everything would turn out.

"Wooo! Go get him girlfriend!" Came a voice from the other side of the very thin walls.

"Leave her alone! She's probably nervous about her date!"

"Shut up! No one asked you anyway!"

Judy just shook her head in amusement again as the arguing neighbors continued. She grabbed the small purse which contained her belongings and headed downstairs. It was only ten until six, but she didn't want to keep Nick waiting when he showed up.

As if right on cue, Judy heard the sound of a car pulling up outside and turning off. She waited anxiously as she heard Nick's footsteps outside. If it weren't for the shoes she was wearing, her foot would have thumped the ground nervously a hundred times already. It took one knock before she opened the door to see Nick standing outside in a black suit and bow tie with a bouquet of pink and red carnations in paw.

The fox seemed especially suave as he stood there for a few seconds just admiring the bunny. "Hey Judy, you look gorgeous," Nick grinned ear to ear.

"Wow Nick, you're looking pretty handsome yourself," Judy replied as she took the bouquet of flowers and sniffed them. She immediately realized the meaning behind the specific type of flowers he had brought her and was impressed with the effort he had put in to send yet another message of his feelings for her.

"Well, Carrots? Shall we go?" Nick held out his paw and she took it as they walked to the red sports car parked on the street that looked very familiar to Judy.

"Hey wait a second, Nick, isn't this?" Judy started.

"Yeah, Flash kind of owed me a favor after bailing him out that one time," Nick chuckled slightly, "So for tonight anyways, we get to ride in style... Wilde style."

"Yeah let's not use that line again," Judy nudged him playfully before they both got in the car, "I wonder how much a Furrari like this costs?"

"No doubt more than our paychecks can afford at this point in time," Nick laughed, "The seats and pedals even adjust to most mammal sizes."

"I don't suppose you'd let me drive?" Judy batted her eyes playfully.

"Silly rabbit, tricks are for foxes," Nick smirked, but inwardly his heart had already started to beat a little faster at the bunny's flirting.

"Darn, and I thought we gotten over the 'bunnies are bad drivers' stereotype," Judy retorted.

"For the record, even if I did let you drive, I think it's safe to assume you haven't driven in heels before," Nick started the car and drove off toward the Rainforest District.

"I'm sure Gazelle manages just fine," Judy poked the fox in the side then relaxed and sat back to enjoy the ride.

Half an hour later they had arrived at the Hanging Rainforest restaurant Nick had mentioned to Judy before. It had a wide variety of cuisines, but the attractiveness of the restaurant was the view from the top of the canopy in which one could see the storms forming overhead through the many glass windows.

Having parked the car in the section for parking on the ground, Judy and Nick ascended on the gondola lift to where the restaurant was built among the thick trees. They walked side by side to the entrance where there stood a huge rhino checking all the guests for reservations.

"Um, hi, excuse me? I'm Nick Wilde, I have a reservation for two," Nick spoke.

The rhino looked down at the fox with a disgusted look. "Oh I'm sorry. Kindly leave these premises, we don't serve your kind here."

* * *

 **I feel kinda bad ending it on a cliffhanger like this, but fret not! There is one more chapter coming in which you all shall find out if this first date shall go down in flames or up to cloud nine. Props to the peeps who get my parodies and references in the story.**

 **I took some liberties with Nick's mom's age as I envisioned both her and Nick to be a little bit younger. Trixy is just a name I thought up for her since I couldn't find anything official other than "Mrs. Wilde." I had a great deal of inspiration from Yasuko of Toradora for her character. Mira is just an OC of mine I thought up. Anyways, I promise you all I shall update this again. I'm not really on any time schedule for this; I write when I have the time, but it will happen! Until then! God bless, I'm out.**


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